# Mac Baren...Discuss



## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

I'm going to preface this by saying my experience with Mac Baren's tobaccos is rather limited, I have a couple blends of theirs that I smoke occasionally and get varying degrees of enjoyment from.

Does anyone else get the impression that Mac Baren is turning into Vauen, or Gurkah, meaning that they are headed down the path of style over substance? They have some classic tobacco's that do not fall into this category, like the Vanilla Cream, Navy Flake, Plum cake, etc, but some of their stuff seams like pure Gimmick, like;

the "cube"










> For nearly a quarter of a decade, Henrik Halberg, master blender and 4th generation owner of Mac Baren Tobacco, has been selecting the five tobaccos used to craft this outstanding blend. The Blend consists of both pressed tobacco and loose cut varieties that make filling your pipe easy and ensure a cool, slow burn. Enjoy the elements experienced from the finest craftsmanship available in fine pipe tobacco. Puzzle your senses with its deep, sweet and fruity taste. Each time will be better than the last. Mac Baren Cube is THE smoking experience for the true connoisseur.
> 
> [From the packaging]


Really a quarter decade, 2.5 years? I spent longer than that looking for my last car. So what are these elusive tobacco's Mr. Halberg spent so much time looking for? What makes it so sweet, deep, and puzzling...or is that the puzzle?

Next up Mac Baren ROYAL BOX



> Carefully selected sweet Virginia tobaccos from different parts of the world add a gentle sweetness to this blend. To ensure the sweet and mild taste of the Virginias part of the tobacco has been pressed and afterwards partly rubbed out again. This ensures a slow and steady burn, and lets the Virginia aroma make itself present. To make the tobacco taste complete the specially roasted Mac Baren cavendish is mixed with the Virginia tobaccos. A unique fruit flavour which is developed especially for this blend completes the taste. Finally the blend is packed in the exclusive Royal Box - the sign of superior tobacco.
> [From the Mac Baren website]


"Finally the blend is packed in the exclusive Royal Box - the sign of superior tobacco." Oh, it's in an exclusive box, I know this is going to be good. At lease I know what is in it this time, a blend that has absolutely nothing to do with the old-timey depiction of Buckingham Palace. This tobacco is about as English as Apple Pie and NASCAR.

And Lastly,

Mac Baren ORIGINAL CHOICE



> Original Choice is a new pioneering pipe tobacco which will appeal to "novice" pipe smokers and the younger generation. It has a mild, aromatic taste, and the truly remarkable thing about Original Choice is the fact that we have managed to develop a tobacco that does not smart on the tongue.
> 
> Original Choice is made of specially selected tobaccos. It is a blend of Virginia tobacco from North Carolina and mild, air-dried Burley from Tennessee. One of the suppliers of the Virginia tobacco is Boyette Farm, where the Boyette family has been working since 1797 to produce the best possible Virginia qualities. Their success has been due in part to the warm and dry climate. It is now the fifth generation that has taken its place behind the solid oak writing desk to play roulette with Mother Nature, as the family puts it. Fortunately, thanks to generations of experience, the odds are stacked in favor of the Boyette family. That is why a plug of Original Choice is always a good idea.
> 
> ...


This is the only one of these blends that I have actually smoked. I picked up a envelope(?) of this at a local B&M, who has a vary limited stock of tobaccos when I was just starting to feel my way around the world of pipes. So I guess they got that first part right. The other correct thing is that it did not "smart" on my tongue. It fact it was completely flat, and tasted pretty much like smoke, and that's it. The tobacco was also bone dry, probably from being packaged in cardboard, which is not known for it's ability to contain moisture, but apparently protected the tobacco from something other than drying out. At least the packaging, can be composted or will biodegrade in a landfill over time, unlike the traditional aluminum tins that can be reused for a myriad of other uses or recycled.

I can understand that they are trying to reach out and to attract new or younger smokers, but if a young guy is smoking a pipe he's probably not the same guy that is going to be impressed by nifty packaging. Why not spend you efforts making the best tobacco possible in a certain price point. None of the other major tobacco blenders are doing this, and they seam to be getting along just fine.


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## keen smoke (Sep 8, 2010)

Interesting thread. Indeed, all of these examples are kind of sillyness to my mind. The good thing is they still produce a lot of classic blends and I really like some of them (Mixture, VA No 1, etc.).

I'm guessing that as one of the few tobacco companies who are well known for pipe tobacco that is actually big and global and profitable, there is probably a lot of "influence" on them from non-tobacco-people who want to focus on marketing instead of the fine art of pipe tobacco. I'm guessing that to their minds, if they can market and get a blend to the "masses" to hook new smokers there's more money in that than making a great blend that a relative few (dedicated smokers) will truly appreciate.

And as said, they're very global. Its possible that some of this stuff which probably doesn't work in the US (or at least you and me) is very attractive in other parts of the world. Maybe people in Japan really dig the cube, who knows?


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## bigslowrock (May 9, 2010)

quarter decade. man I got to remember to use that sometime.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

:rofl:

"The Cheese Stands with MacBaren". 

Very funny stuff, Derrick. :biglaugh:


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

keen smoke said:


> And as said, they're very global. Its possible that some of this stuff which probably doesn't work in the US (or at least you and me) is very attractive in other parts of the world. Maybe people in Japan really dig the cube, who knows?


More likely, no one responsible for this nonsense smokes a pipe. Or speaks English as a native language. "That is also why we have managed to make sure that Original Choice does not smart on the tongue." It smarts on my head.


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

This was never meant to be the rant that it turned into, I just wanted to point out some of the thing that run counter to what most people expect, or find important in a premium tobacco.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Commander Quan said:


> This was never meant to be the rant that it turned into...


I, for one, am happy it did! Haven't been this entertained in days! :tu


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## Troutman22 (Feb 2, 2011)

Never had a Mac Baren tobak and after this I am not sure I ever will - lol.


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## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

Ask *mmiller* about that cube stuff. He bought a tin. I've tried a bowl, was very sweet. I didn't mind it but I enjoyed it a lot more mixed 1:1 with SWR non aro.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Troutman22 said:


> Never had a Mac Baren tobak and after this I am not sure I ever will - lol.


The Mixture Flake is okay and I really like the Vanilla Cream Flake to add to things like IF as a spice. Can't say they're my favorite blender by a long shot though.


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

karatekyle said:


> Ask *mmiller* about that cube stuff. He bought a tin. I've tried a bowl, was very sweet. I didn't mind it but I enjoyed it a lot more mixed 1:1 with SWR non aro.


This is kind of my point. If you're going to make a special packaging for the blend, shouldn't the tobacco inside be special too?


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Good thread. I have never tried these blends or even noticed them before now. Probably reinforces your point about these not being targeted to the serious pipe smoker (those of us that care more about the product than the package).

I do however love Plumcake, and I hope they don't mess that up!


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Commander Quan said:


> This is kind of my point. If you're going to make a special packaging for the blend, shouldn't the tobacco inside be special too?


In a large operation like Mac Baren, I'd bet there's a lot of chaff and leavings, ie, tobacco that didn't quite make the cut or was left over making Navy Flake or other flagship blends. Mix it all together and soak it down with an aromatic humectant, stick it in a fru-fru can and unload it at a profit.


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## ruralhipster (Jan 15, 2010)

I give MacBaren a break since they make several excellent products, their efforts to expand out and appeal to new smokers I'm sure is based on the get em in the door theory of marketing. The cube is a gimmick and only really designed to look good on your shelf beside your Porsche pipe as far as I can tell. They do however make several excellent tobaccos namely: Club Blend, Dark Twist, Navy Flake, Vanilla Flake, Golden Extra, HH Vintage Syrian, etc. I see it as a Company that secures their distribution and then stocks the shelves of their distributors with many options to offer their customers.


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## GuitarDan (Nov 26, 2009)

The only MacBaren product I was impressed with was a 30 year old tin of Plumcake. MacBaren is just another OTC in my view...excellent flavorful blends that are cheapened and simplified throughout the decades to the point of disappointment.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

I must admit I'm not much of a MacBaren fan either, but I wan't a fan of their stuff my first go 'round 35 years ago, either. I did pick up a tin of Black Ambrosia a few months ago to see what it was like after a couple of years smoking under the belt as it was the first tin I bought when I got back into the pipe. I remember it as not having a lot of flavor, but then pretty much all tobacco was lacking in flavor when I first started again. Haven't had the itch to open it yet, though. I've got to dig around in the cellar and find that Vanilla Flake as well. (And all the other samples jarred up that I still haven't gotten around to smoking; there's some Jackknife Plug in there from when it first came out that I haven't tried yet as well...I'd say there's too much tobacco around here, but of course, that's impossible!


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

I've had a couple & have some Vanilla Cream Flake cellared. As a noob I will say I enjoy the Vanilla Flake as a straightforward smoke but most the others are here for Tash as she likes sweeter aros. I've been interested in hearing the thoughts expressed so far and those yet to come as there are so many untrieds for me still and this brand may just slip a little down the list yet. I agree on the cube though, a lot of marketing there and very little to warrant it.


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## mmiller (Nov 17, 2011)

I have a tin of the cube and it is pretty interesting, there are a few different cuts of tobacco in there, there is broken flake, cube cut, shag, ribbon and so on. It is a very sweet tasting tobacco, would be great for a after dinner type of deal, the room note smells of brown sugar, vanilla and caramel. It has the flavor of vanilla and caramel as well as hints of fruit that seem to be coconut or banana here and there. It come out of the tin wet so it needs a little drying time. After that it takes a light very well and burns great throughout the whole bowl. It is the only aromatic that I have smoked all the way through without gurgle besides Boswell Berry Cobbler and the end result is a very completely burnt gray fine ash. For an aromatic I like it a lot especially after a meal or a night time smoke. It comes in a 40 gr pouch too so if your interested it dont hurt to give it a shot. p


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## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

freestoke said:


> In a large operation like Mac Baren, I'd bet there's a lot of chaff and leavings, ie, tobacco that didn't quite make the cut or was left over making Navy Flake or other flagship blends. Mix it all together and soak it down with an aromatic humectant, stick it in a fru-fru can and unload it at a profit.


:lol:


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

mmiller said:


> ... there are a few different cuts of tobacco in there, there is broken flake, cube cut, shag, ribbon and so on...It come out of the tin wet so it needs a little drying time...


So my guess, "I'd bet there's a lot of chaff and leavings, ie, tobacco that didn't quite make the cut or was left over making Navy Flake or other flagship blends. Mix it all together and soak it down with an aromatic humectant..." seems almost psychic. :hippie:


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

karatekyle said:


> :lol:


First, why do you show up as karatekyle+ on the member list on the home page? :ask: Second, thanks for laughing at my joke. :smile:


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## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

freestoke said:


> First, why do you show up as karatekyle+ on the member list on the home page? :ask: Second, thanks for laughing at my joke. :smile:


I think the + indicates that you are friends...


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## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

Nick S. said:


> I think the + indicates that you are friends...


Yep! All the extra-awesome members have a +.


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## B.L. Sims (Jan 14, 2010)

Looks to me like a bunch of hype to attract new pipe smokers. It reads like a CI catalog description to be honest. They are trying to excite and dazzle.

No matter, I enjoy both VA#1 and London Burly.
Ive got some navy and plumbcake- dont really care for it and I dont have a burning desire to try anything else from them really.


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## bandlwalmer (Jun 25, 2010)

Well...I just ordered a pund each of Plumcake, Vanilla Cream, and Vintage Syrian from JR's. Hopefully I like them, but they did each come with a free tobacco jar that looks pretty nice. Hopefully, they are good, if not they will end up in the cellar to get some age on them. 

Maybe the free tobacco jar was just another gimmick, but it worked on me I guess!


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